One East Naples development grows, with some concessions and county soul-searching

Sabal Bay in East Naples will get another 230 units, despite neighbors,' conservationists' and even a commissioner's objections over traffic, amenities and environmental disruption.

There were some hooks in the Collier County Board of Commissioners' approval Tuesday and the major one may be for the county. With Sabal Bay's density rising from 0.85 dwelling units per acre to 0.91, Commissioner Penny Taylor asked the county to compile for commissioners its density changes for developments over the last 10 years. She fears they may be quietly creeping up.

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"We cannot build more roads in a lot of these areas. I think we need to re-examine how we assess these increases in density,” she said. “The developers have a right. They have a right. I’m not negating that. But we keep saying 'yes' to these increases in density that we don’t have the infrastructure to support."

“If we need to look at how we’re calculating traffic in relation to densities, in relation to size of roads and other things, that’s certainly something we should talk about,” agreed fellow commissioner Andy Solis (District 2). But he would vote in favor of approving the project, saying: “We have to look at these applications in terms of the rules as they are today.”

Traffic concerns nearby residents

Today’s rules were not satisfactory to a number of the residents who spoke up. Sabal Bay will exit at two points, Thomasson Drive and Bayshore Drive, the latter in its two-lane local-use construction south of the intersection of those two roads.

A 40-year East Naples resident, Tim Owens, pointed out the increased traffic would be on a narrow road that also held a Montessori pre-school. There was no provision for bike lanes on them, he added.

And Gary Lubin, who spoke via Zoom, produced several video graphics showing density for the area. Bayshore Drive, in particular, he and others emphasized, is undersized for the loads and types of traffic it would be getting.

“If it’s 10 feet, it's probably including the apron because actually the lane width is 9 feet," he claimed.

But from both Sabal Bay and The Isles of Collier Preserve, to which it is connected, Bayshore is the most efficient route, with only one stop sign between it and U.S. 41 close to the Gordon River bridge. Using Bayshore avoids most of the traffic lights between the subdivision and downtown Naples and its beaches.

It will be the go-to thoroughfare, he predicted: "Common sense dictates the residents are going to use the roadway extensively."

Further, neither the Isles of Collier Preserve or the original Sabal Bay are done building, although Minto representatives said their traffic estimates include what they called “background traffic" from The Isles as well as Sabal Bay.

“Folks, that’s a lot of cars,” said resident Steve Young. “I know the county will be in there in five years widening that road, and on all of the county taxpayers’ backs. When do we stop?”

What about amenities as development grows?

Nor did he find the amenities offered by Minto for its expansion — six additional pickleball courts — helpful with the entire development growing. The community center, he said, is already undersized with a seating capacity in its largest space of 142. That's for an area that, when built out, might hold 4,800 people, he said.

Young pointed out that Minto has told the residents that, after the development is finished, it will turn its sales center building over to the community to whatever use it wants — such as a fitness club or a restaurant. But the residents would have to pay for its improvements, he said.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. They’ve been using it all this time. I think it’s incumbent on them to finish it out for whatever we need for the space, not charge us or go get us an assessment.”

Gopher tortoises to be moved as part of expansion

Of the 15 people signed up to speak, one supported the project. And one, Meredith Budd, Regional Policy Director at Florida Wildlife Federation, lamented the fact that Minto would be moving the gopher tortoises that burrow into the uplands that are part of this expansion.

“We’re just continuing to push them away," Budd said. "They lack the protection for these uplands. I would love that opportunity — is it a possibility? — to express ways to better protect our precious uplands here in Collier County.”

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In the end, the expansion was approved with a 4-1 vote, Taylor dissenting. As a number of commissioners and county staff pointed out, Minto has met all the county’s current standards and even has done better in some cases. It has agreed to pay a portion of potential traffic calming devices if they are needed and would not object to the Bayshore Beautification Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) expanding to encompass the area.

But residents’ complaints about amenities needed attention, said Rick LoCastro, county commissioner of District One. “To give them the keys to an empty sales center and telling them they can turn it into a restaurant — we can do better than that.”

The fact that Minto could potentially transfer some of its building capacity from the rest of Sabal Bay to the new tract also prompted Taylor to ask for assurance that wouldn't happen.

Yavonavich said the company's agreement to a 172-count trip cap — a road usage measurement for limiting building — would prohibit that. But after Taylor ascertained there is no monitoring of compliance on the 172 count, he agreed. 

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